


Sunlight shimmering love

by AlexZorlok



Category: Friends (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/M, Kissing, Pet Names, Sleepy Cuddles, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, as they deserve, they are fooling around and are in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26779615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexZorlok/pseuds/AlexZorlok
Summary: Joey wakes Rachel up to get ready for work. The one nuance is that he doesn't want her to leave, actually.
Relationships: Rachel Green/Joey Tribbiani
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	Sunlight shimmering love

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like this might actually be the most tender piece I've ever written, I just. I love them so much.  
> You've been warned (@ Grace).

“Good moorning.”

Rachel only squeezes her eyes shut tighter. There’s a part at the very corner of her mind that wants to get her blood boiling with annoyance, irritated at being woken up. The thought fades very quickly though, like a lit tip of a match that never does make it to the candle. She slept way too well to start her morning off on such a note, not to mention that the sweetness and the comfort of the slumber doesn’t seem to be leaving her quite yet. Rachel nuzzles her face into the man’s chest, taking a mental note that it’s not just his natural body heat and gentle embrace that made this morning good indeed— it is, in fact, also his singing voice, although unnecessarily loud and cheery, that can’t help but make her lips stretch into a grin.

“Rach?”

This time his voice is a whisper, although, with it sounding right above her ear, Rachel can still distinguish all of the nuances of a tone in it. It’s like he’s checking whether she’s actually awake yet, willing to let her drift back away if she’s not, and, even though the idea sounds oh so tempting, Rachel can’t do it to him, not when the tender vibration of his voice makes her want nothing more than to see that same tenderness in his eyes.

“Joey.”

—And it’s worth it. She lifts her own eyes at him, resting her weight on her elbows now, and his eyes, filled with nothing less than content longing a moment before, light up at the sight and the sound of her, as if he’s on the stage and has just been hit with the spotlight.

They both reach for each other at the same time, lips pecking together producing a soft popping sound that just makes both of them grin harder.

_ Why haven’t we been doing this all along? _

Rachel throws a quick glance at the clock on the wall, and her eyebrows shoot up a little.

“Oh my god… It’s not as early as I thought.”

“Yeah, well, I would have let you sleep longer, but that’s when you always get up for work, right?”

“It is. Aw, that’s so sweet of you.” she lifts one of her hands to gently pat it against Joey’s cheek. Joey covers it with his own, keeping it in place, and Rachel settles for moving her thumb along his jawline instead. “Sweetie.”

Joey presses against the touch, eyes closing in delight. “Honey.”

“Baby.”

“Princess.”

“Love.”

“Rachel.” his eyes snap open, and that, combined with the way he says it, growling the r, pronouncing it like the name of something very precious, sends a shiver down Rachel’s spine. She feels herself blushing, so she tucks a stray hair behind her ear, hiding her face behind her hand for a moment and using it to get herself together.

“Well, honey, this is not a pet name.” she says, after clearing her throat.

“I just really like your name.” he breathes out. Then: “I’m in love with Rachel Green...”

Rachel chuckles, then leans down to kiss him, for real this time, lingering with her lips on his, taking in the way he brushes his hand through her hair and hugs her close when they part.

“And I love you too, Joey Tribbiani.”

She hums, happily, then rolls to the side. Joey untagles his arms from her, although unwillingly, and he just watches with an unspoken question as she gets up from the bed, tries to get her hair in order and walks to the cupboard to pick clothes for the day.

“Rach?” he speaks up, at last, his voice almost whining.

“Get up, Joe, it’s time for breakfast.”

“But you’re going to leave after breakfast.” this time, he’s definitely whining, and Rachel does roll her eyes at that, as he helplessly lifts his hands to the ceiling, in a melodramatic, soap opera-n way of his. “Oh heavens, why would you ever make me face such a dillemma?!”

“Oh come on, Joey.” Rachel, dressed already, tugs him out of the bed by his hand. He follows, world misery still written on his face. “Now, I’m going to cook you something, so just get dressed.”

“Alright… But I’m getting a double portion!”

Rachel laughs openly from the kitchen.

“As if I would ever leave you without it!”

Breakfast does lift Joey’s mood up gradually, to the point where he muses about his own plans for the day, that, if Rachel were to boil them down to the main points, mostly categorize as ‘bother Monica and Chandler’.

“Alright, honey, have fun today.” she says, kissing him goodbye at the doormat.

Joey swings their hands together in between them, then lifts both of Rachel’s to press little kisses to the knuckles.

“You too, roomie.”

Rachel’s eyebrows shoot up, again.

“Really, Joe? Is this your chosen pet name?”

He looks strangely full of himself.

“I always did like the sound of that.”


End file.
